Personal access and control of media peripherals on a media exchange network

ABSTRACT

Methods are disclosed for indirectly monitoring and controlling at least one media peripheral device in a media exchange network by accessing a media management system (MMS) via a first media peripheral (MP) device (e.g., a TV screen) using a user control device (e.g., a remote control). An operation corresponding to a second media peripheral (MP) device (e.g., a digital camera) may be selected via the MMS using the first MP device and the user control device. The operation is then carried out (i.e., performed) by the second MP device. A status of the second MP device may be selected via the MMS using the first MP device and the user control device. The selected status is then displayed on the first MP device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/795,405 entitled “PERSONAL ACCESS AND CONTROL OF MEDIAPERIPHERALS ON A MEDIA EXCHANGE NETWORK”, filed Jun. 7, 2010, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/391,022 entitled“PERSONAL ACCESS AND CONTROL OF MEDIA PERIPHERALS ON A MEDIA EXCHANGENETWORK”, filed Feb. 23, 2009, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,734,788,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/660,267entitled “PERSONAL ACCESS AND CONTROL OF MEDIA PERIPHERALS ON A MEDIAEXCHANGE NETWORK”, filed Sep. 11, 2003, now issued as U.S. Pat. No.7,496,665, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/432,472 filed on Dec. 11, 2002 and U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 60/443,894 filed on Jan. 30, 2003, all of which incorporatedherein by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/657,390 filed on Sep. 8, 2003, ishereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[Not Applicable]

SEQUENCE LISTING

[Not Applicable]

MICROFICHE/COPYRIGHT REFERENCE

[Not Applicable]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Digital media devices may be battery powered, portable or mobile devicesthat are designed to operate while in motion (“roaming digital mediadevices”), or may be designed for operation while in a fixed locationand usually connected to a power outlet (“stationary digital mediadevices”). Typical digital media devices, including media capture andplayer devices such as video and image cameras, audio recorders, andvideo, audio and image players, are designed for direct user control.

Direct control of such digital media devices occurs manually throughbuttons, switches and keypads on the digital media device or on anassociated remote control device. With direct control, users have accessto a wide set of device commands and trick modes, such as power on oroff, play, rewind, capture, erase, delete, zoom, rewind, skip, sleep,standby, volume, brightness, modes, scan, etc. Direct access to media(for playback, review, etc.) in typical digital media devices is but oneresult of direct control.

Many of such digital media devices also use displays, light emittingdiodes, and other visual components to assist the user in carrying outdirect control. Audible or audio components are also often employed toassist.

Most digital media devices offer no means for indirect control, and, forthose that do, the indirect control is very limited and difficult touse. Indirect control is control that is initiated from an independentdevice that may or may not be operated by a user. Independent devices donot include remote control devices that communicate directly with thedigital media device (associated remote control devices).

A personal computer (PC) is an exemplary independent device that isoften used to indirectly access media stored on a digital media devicevia a wired link. The indirect control of such digital media devicesinvolves the: (1) exchange of media meta information, e.g., media filenames, sizes, dates, resolution and format; (2) uploading of media tothe digital media device; or (3) downloading of media from the digitalmedia device. Through such indirect control, a user is able to extractmedia for printing, routing, or processing or load media for playback orreview. Even so, the overall process for doing so is not easy.

For example, to route images to a friend, a user removes a digitalcamera from its case and through direct control turns on the power,adjusts settings and captures images. Afterwards, the user throughdirect control turns off the power and returns the camera to its case.Later, when within range of a PC, the user: (1) removes the digitalcamera from its case; (2) attaches a cable between the PC and thedigital camera; (3) powers up the digital camera using direct control;(4) places the camera in a download mode using direct control; (5) runsa PC application that, using indirect control, copies the image filesfrom the digital camera to the PC via the cable; (6) powers down thedigital camera using direct control; (7) removes the cable; (8) placesthe camera into its case; (9) exits the PC application; (10) establishesan Internet connection; (11) runs an e-mail program on the PC; and (12)creates and sends an e-mail with the image files attached. This processis very tedious and time consuming, and, especially when problems arise,requires a fairly savvy user.

Occasionally, a user may want to determine certain status of a digitalmedia device such as, for example, model number, software/firmwareversion, settings, and capabilities. As a result, the user may have tomanually examine the digital media device or read through much of theuser's manual of the digital media device. Also, in order to discover abattery charge level or a stored image status, for example, of a digitalmedia device, a user may have to find, unpack, and examine the digitalmedia device.

Many times, a user may quickly grab a digital media device such as, forexample, a digital camera, only to discover that the digital camera isnot ready to use because the charge of the battery pack is low. A usermay have to keep a digital media device plugged into a wall socket whilenot using the digital media device to ensure that a battery pack of thedigital media device is charged.

Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditionalapproaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, throughcomparison of such systems with the present invention as set forth inthe remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to indirectlymonitoring and controlling media peripheral devices on a media exchangenetwork. As defined herein, a media peripheral device includes anydevice comprising a processor and media capture software and/or mediaplayer software. Also, a PC monitor, a TV screen, and any display deviceare considered media peripheral devices herein.

Aspects of the present invention may be seen in a system supporting theindirect control of at least one media peripheral. Such a system maycomprise a first television display in a first home, a first storage inthe first home for storing media, a second storage in the second home,and at least one media peripheral, in the second home. The first storagemay have an associated first network protocol address, the secondstorage may have an associated second network protocol address, and theat least one media peripheral may be communicatively coupled to thesecond storage. An embodiment of the present invention may also compriseserver software that receives via a communication network a request thatidentifies one of the associated first and second network protocoladdresses. The request may also identify one of the at least one mediaperipheral, and at least one media peripheral command selected by a userat the first home.

In an embodiment in accordance with the present invention, the servermay respond by identifying the other of the associated first and secondnetwork protocol addresses. In this manner, the server may supportcontrol from the first home, via the communication network, of theidentified one of the at least one media peripheral, at the second home,according to the at least one media peripheral command. The first andsecond network protocol addresses may be one of an Internet protocol(IP) address, a media access control (MAC) address, and an electronicserial number (ESN). The at least one media peripheral may comprise atleast one of a digital camera, a digital camcorder, an MP3 player, ahome juke-box system, a multi-media personal digital assistant (PDA), amobile multi-media gateway device. The media may comprise at least oneof audio, a still image, video, and data, and the media may comprisereal-time video. The at least one media peripheral command may compriseat least one of on, off, select, play, capture, download, erase, delete,zoom, focus, pan, tilt, set compression format, set resolution, setframe rate, set quality, rewind, fast forward, scan, list, skip, andcheck status.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the communication network maycomprise at least one of a cable infrastructure, a satellite networkinfrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, anInternet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wiredinfrastructure, and a wireless infrastructure. The communication networkmay be the Internet. An embodiment of the present invention may alsocomprise a user interface, at the first home, for identifying at leastone of the second home, the at least one media peripheral, and the atleast one media peripheral command, and the user interface supporting atleast one media channel.

Additional aspects of the present invention may be found in a systemsupporting the indirect control of at least one media peripheral. Suchan embodiment may comprise a first storage in the first home that storesmedia, and a second storage in the second home. The first storage mayhave an associated first network address, and the second storage mayhave an associated second network address. An embodiment of the presentinvention may also comprise set top box circuitry, in the first home,communicatively coupled to the first storage and the second storage, andat least one media peripheral, in the second home, communicativelycoupled to the second storage.

An embodiment of the present invention may also comprise serversoftware. The server software may receive a request that identifies oneof the associated first and second network addresses, one of the atleast one media peripheral, and at least one media peripheral command.The server may respond by identifying the other of the associated firstand second network addresses to support control, via a communicationnetwork, of the identified one of the at least one media peripheral,according to the at least one media peripheral command. The media maycomprise at least one of audio, a still image, video, and data, and theat least one media peripheral may comprise at least one of a digitalcamera, a digital camcorder, an MP3 player, a home juke-box system, amulti-media personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile multi-mediagateway device.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the first and second networkaddresses may be one of an Internet protocol (IP) address, a mediaaccess control (MAC) address, and an electronic serial number (ESN). Thecommunication network may comprise at least one of a cableinfrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriberline (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranetinfrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and a wireless infrastructure,and the communication network may be the Internet. The server softwarein an embodiment of the present invention may forward media from the atleast one media peripheral to the set top box circuitry. The serversoftware may be at a location separate from the first home and thesecond home.

Further aspects of the present invention may be observed in a systemsupporting the indirect control of at least one media peripheral. Suchan embodiment may comprise a first storage, in a first home, that storesmedia, and at least one media peripheral, in a second home. The systemmay also comprise set top box circuitry, in the first home,communicatively coupled via a communication network, to exchange mediabetween the first storage and the at least one media peripheral. Anembodiment may also comprise server software that supports the deliveryof at least one media peripheral command to the at least one mediaperipheral, and the exchange of media between the at least one mediaperipheral and the set top box circuitry.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the media may comprise atleast one of audio, a still image, video, real-time video, and data. Theat least one media peripheral command may comprise at least one of on,off, select, play, capture, download, erase, delete, zoom, focus, pan,tilt, set compression format, set resolution, set frame rate, setquality, rewind, fast forward, scan, list, skip, and check status. Thecommunication network may comprise at least one of a cableinfrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriberline (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranetinfrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and a wireless infrastructure.The at least one media peripheral may comprise at least one of a digitalcamera, a digital camcorder, an MP3 player, a home juke-box system, amulti-media personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile multi-mediagateway device.

These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of the presentinvention, as well as details of an illustrated embodiment thereof, willbe more fully understood from the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a media exchangenetwork supporting access, monitoring, and control of media peripheraldevices, in accordance with various aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a device view withdrop down menus for controlling media peripheral devices on the mediaexchange network of FIG. 1A, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent invention.

FIG. 1C is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a media peripheraldevice status page showing status information of various mediaperipheral devices on the media exchange network of FIG. 1A, inaccordance with various aspects of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is a flowchart illustrating a general embodiment of a method forindirectly controlling a media peripheral device on the media exchangenetwork of FIG. 1A, in accordance with various aspects of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2B is a flowchart illustrating a more specific embodiment of themethod of FIG. 2A for indirectly controlling a media peripheral deviceon the media exchange network of FIG. 1A, in accordance with variousaspects of the present invention.

FIG. 2C is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method forindirectly monitoring status information of media peripheral devices onthe media exchange network of FIG. 1A, in accordance with variousaspects of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of a first exemplary media exchangenetwork in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of performing personal mediaexchange over a second exemplary media exchange network in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of performing third-party mediaexchange over a third exemplary media exchange network in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary illustration of a media guide user interface inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an exemplary illustration of several instantiations of a mediaguide user interface of FIG. 4 in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary illustration of a media guide user interfaceshowing several options of a pushed media in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9A is a schematic block diagram of a media processing system (MPS)interfacing to media capture peripherals in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9B illustrates an alternative embodiment of a media processingsystem (MPS) in accordance with various aspects of the presentinvention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a PC and an MPS interfacing to aserver on a media exchange network in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a PC interfacing to personalmedia capture devices and remote media storage on a media exchangenetwork in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1A is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a media exchangenetwork 100 supporting access, monitoring, and control of mediaperipheral devices (e.g., 108 and 109), in accordance with variousaspects of the present invention. Specifically, the media exchangenetwork 100 is a communication network comprising a first MPS (mediaprocessing system) 101 located in a home location 115 of the mediaexchange network 100, a second MPS 102 at a remote location 116, WAN(s)(“Wide Area Network(s)”) 103, and LAN(s) (“Local Area Network(s)”) 104.The MPS 101 may interface wirelessly or via a wired connection to bothLAN(s) 104 and WAN(s) 103. Similarly, MPS 102 may interface wirelesslyor via a wired connection to WAN(s) 103. Remote location 116 may be, forexample, a user's second home, a friend's home, or a family member'shome.

The media exchange network 100 also includes several PCs (“personalcomputers”) 105, 106, and 107 in the home location 115 of the mediaexchange network 100 that interface wirelessly or via a wired connectionto the LAN(s) 104. The PC's may comprise desktop PC's, notebook PC's,PDA's, or any computing device. The media exchange network 100 furthercomprises a first plurality of media peripheral devices 108 at the homelocation 115, and a second plurality of media peripheral devices 109 atthe remote location 116. The first plurality of media peripheral devices108 may interface wirelessly or via a wired connection to the MPS 101 inany combination. Similarly, the second plurality of media peripheraldevices 109 may interface wirelessly or via a wired connection to theMPS 102 in any combination.

The media peripheral devices (108, 109) may include a digital camera113, a digital camcorder 124, a MP3 player 125, a home juke-box system126, a multi-media PDA (personal digital assistant) 119, and a mobilemulti-media gateway device 127. The MPS's (101, 102) may include a TVscreen 111 for viewing various types of media and for controlling andaccessing the various media peripheral devices.

Furthermore, the media exchange network 100 comprises a 3^(rd) partymedia provider(s) 112, a 3^(rd) party sales provider(s) 120, a remotecomputer(s) 121, a 3^(rd) party peripheral service(s) 122, and a 3^(rd)party peripheral manufacturer(s) 123 all interfacing wirelessly or via awired connection to the WAN(s) 103.

The LAN(s) 104 may comprise, for example, a home cable infrastructure,an Ethernet infrastructure, an 802.11b wireless infrastructure, or ahome PNA (phoneline networking alliance) infrastructure, providingpeer-to-peer networking capability within the home location 115.

The WAN(s) 103 may include cable infrastructure, DSL infrastructure,Internet infrastructure, or intranet infrastructure in order to providecommunications between, for example, the home location 115, the remotelocation 116, and third party locations 112, 120, 121, 122, 123.Entities within the LAN 103 and the WAN 104 may be identified usingnetwork or protocol addresses such as, for example, Internet protocol(IP) addresses, media access control (MAC) addresses, and electronicserial numbers (ESN's).

In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, a MPSmay comprise a set-top-box (STB), a PC, or a TV with a media managementsystem (MMS). A MMS is also known herein as a media exchange software(MES) platform.

A MMS comprises a software platform operating on at least one processorto provide certain functionality including user interface functionality,distributed storage functionality, and networking functionality. Forexample, a MMS may provide control of media peripheral devices, statusmonitoring of media peripheral devices, and inter-home MPS routingselection, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. AnMPS is also known, herein, as a media-box and/or an M-box.

Any of the PC's (105, 106, 107, 121) may indirectly access and controlany of the plurality of media peripheral devices (108, 109). Such accessand control may be accomplished in communication pathways via the MPS's(101, 102) or outside of the MPS's (101, 102). Similarly, any of theMPS's (101, 102) may indirectly access and control any of the mediaperipheral devices (108, 109) via a remote control 110 interacting witha TV screen 111, or outside thereof.

Today, TV is typically only used for media consumption, not to controlmedia peripheral devices without performing media consumption. An MPSmay or may not be the beneficiary or initiator of media peripheraldevice controls.

There are many types of indirect control commands available tomanipulate the various media peripheral devices. Each media peripheraldevice may have particular indirect commands unique to that device ortype of device. Many of the indirect commands will find parallels to theavailable direct commands. Exemplary commands include turning mediaperipheral devices 108 and/or 109 on and off, initiating play, capture,select, erase/delete, zoom, focus, pan, tilt, fast forward, rewind,scan, list, skip, etc.

Media peripheral devices may be controlled from a TV screen 111 or a PC105 via user interaction, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention. For example, a user may initiate checking of batterylevels of the media peripheral devices through his TV screen.

FIG. 1B is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a device view 130with drop down menus for controlling the operation of media peripheraldevices on the media exchange network 100 of FIG. 1A, in accordance withvarious aspects of the present invention. The device view 130 comprisesa table of media peripheral device options 131 versus media contentcategories 132 (e.g., image files, video files, audio files, albumtitles) for each of the media peripheral devices. The media peripheraldevice options 131 listed in the device view 130 include a digitalcamera option 133, a digital camcorder option 134, a MP3 player option135, a multi-media PDA option 136, a home juke-box option 137, a firsthome PC option 138, a mobile multi-media gateway option 139, and asecond home PC option 140.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a user maycall up the device view 130 on a TV screen of a MPS, using a remotecontrol, or on the monitor of a PC, using a keyboard or mouse, on themedia exchange network 100. The user may select a device option from thedevice view 130 in order to display a drop-down sub-menu (e.g., sub-menu141). A sub-menu provides access, control, and monitoring commandoptions to the user for that device.

For example, referring to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, a user of the MPS 101 maycall up the device view 130 on the TV screen 111 using the remotecontrol 110 and select the digital camcorder option 134 on the deviceview 130. The device view 130 may be stored in the MPS 101, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The sub-menu 141appears on the TV screen 111 and the user selects the “power on/off”option to power the digital camera 113 on. As another example, a user ofthe PC 107 may call up the device view 130 on a monitor of the PC 107using a keyboard and select the MP3 player option 135 on the device view130. The sub-menu 142 appears on the PC monitor and the user selects the“play” option to play the songs digitally stored in the MP3 player 125.

As a further example, a user of the MPS 102 at the remote location 116may call up the device view 130 on the TV screen of the MPS 102 using aremote control and select the second home PC option 140 on the deviceview 130. The sub-menu 143 appears on the TV screen of the MPS 102 andthe user selects the “download” option to begin the process ofdownloading an image file from the PC 105 at the home location 115 viathe LAN 104, the MPS 101, and the WAN 103. Such remote access mayrequire permission to be granted, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention. Other sub-menu options are available as well suchas, for example, a “check status” option that allows a user to check thestatus of a media peripheral device, a “change resolution” option thatallows a user to change a digital file resolution of a MP device, and a“frame rate” option that allows a user to change an acquisition framerate of a MP device.

FIG. 1C is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of a media peripheraldevice status page 150 showing status information of various mediaperipheral devices on the media exchange network 100 of FIG. 1A, inaccordance with various aspects of the present invention. The mediaperipheral device status page 150 comprises a table of media peripheraldevice options 151 versus status information categories 152 and allows auser to view the status of multiple media peripheral devices on themedia exchange network 100. The status information categories 152 mayinclude, for example, “battery level”, “power on/off”, “storage used”,“storage left”, and “within range”.

“Battery level” refers to the percent of full charge remaining on thebattery or power pack of the media peripheral device. “Power on/off”indicates the power state of the media peripheral device (i.e., ON orOFF). “Storage used” refers to the percent of total digital storagespace that has been used in the media peripheral device. “Storage left”refers to the percent of total digital storage space remaining (i.e.,unused) in the media peripheral device. Finally, “within range” refersto whether or not the media peripheral device is currently able toaccess the polling device (e.g., MPS or PC). The polling device is thedevice that is trying to access the status information from the mediaperipheral device. If the polling device cannot currently access acertain media peripheral device, the MP device status page 150 willindicate “NO” under the “within range” category for that MP device.Otherwise, the indication will be “YES”.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a user maycall up the MP device status page 150 on a TV screen of a MPS, using aremote control, or on the monitor of a PC, using a keyboard or mouse, onthe media exchange network 100. The user may then view the status ofeach media peripheral device in the MP device status page 150 for eachstatus information category 152 (assuming the MP device is withinrange). For example, the user may look under “battery level” for themulti-media PDA option and discover that the battery level for themulti-media PDA 119 is at 70% of full charge. As another example, theuser may look under “storage left” for the digital camera option anddiscover that the amount of digital storage space remaining is 70% inthe digital camera 113.

FIG. 2A is a flowchart 200 illustrating a general embodiment of amethod, using the media exchange network 100 of FIG. 1A, for indirectlycontrolling a media peripheral device, in accordance with certainaspects of the present invention. In step 201, indirect control of amedia peripheral device is initiated by a media control initiationdevice. The media control initiation device may comprise, for example, aMPS, a PC, or another media peripheral device. The media peripheraldevice may comprise, for example, a digital camera, a digital camcorder,a MP3 player, a home juke-box system, a multi-media PDA, or a mobilemulti-media gateway.

In step 202, a decision is made based on whether or not the mediacontrol initiation device is a MPS. If the media control initiationdevice is a MPS, then the method 200 proceeds to step 203, else themethod 200 proceeds to step 204.

In step 203, at least one control command is communicated indirectlyfrom the media control initiation device to the media peripheral deviceover a communication path comprising at least one wired and/or wirelessconnection between the media control initiation device and the mediaperipheral device. The at least one wired and/or wireless connection maycomprise at least one local area network and/or at least one wide areanetwork, or any combination thereof.

In step 204, at least one control command is communicated indirectlyfrom the media control initiation device to the media peripheral deviceover a communication path comprising at least one MPS and at least onewired and/or wireless connection between the media control initiationdevice and the media peripheral device. The at least one wired and/orwireless connection may comprise at least one local area network and/orat least one wide area network, or any combination thereof. In step 205,the media peripheral carries out the at least one control command.

FIG. 2B is a flowchart 206 illustrating a specific embodiment of themethod of FIG. 2A, using the media exchange network 100 of FIG. 1A, forindirectly controlling a media peripheral device, in accordance withcertain aspects of the present invention. In step 207, a user of a PC(e.g., PC 106 at home location 115) initiates indirect control of amedia peripheral device (e.g., digital camera 114 at remote location116) using a keyboard or mouse.

In step 208, a control command (e.g., “power on”) is communicated fromthe PC to a first network infrastructure (e.g., LAN(s) 104) via either awireless or wired connection. In step 209, the control command iscommunicated from the first network infrastructure to a first MPS (e.g.,MPS 101) via either a wireless or wired connection. In step 210, thecontrol command is communicated from the first MPS to a second networkinfrastructure (e.g., WAN(s) 103) via either a wireless or wiredconnection.

In step 211, the control command is communicated from the second networkinfrastructure to a second MPS (e.g., MPS 102) via either a wireless orwired connection. In step 212, the control command is communicated fromthe second MPS to the media peripheral device via either a wireless orwired connection. In step 213, the media peripheral device carries outthe command (i.e., performs the associated operation such that thedigital camera 114 powers on).

In another example, a digital camera 113 may be placed on a table in thehome location 115. A user of the PC 107 may command digital camera 113to turn on using a keyboard. The command may be communicated to digitalcamera 113 wirelessly from PC 107. Next, the user of the PC 107 mayinitiate another command to digital camera 113, in a similar manner,instructing digital camera 113 to download image files from digitalcamera 113 to PC 107.

The management of memory, such as evaluating how much memory storagespace is left in a media peripheral or moving and migrating media files,may be controlled using certain media peripheral commands. For example,a user of the MPS 101 may command digital camera 113 to turn on using aremote control. The command may be communicated to digital camera 113wirelessly from MPS 101 using the TV screen 111 and remote control 110.Next, the user of the MPS 101 may initiate another command to digitalcamera 113, in a similar manner, instructing digital camera 113 todownload image files from digital camera 113 to MPS 101.

As yet another example, a user of the PC 105 may command digital camera113 to turn on using a mouse. The command may be communicated wirelesslyfrom PC 105 to LAN(s) 104, and then through a wired connection fromLAN(s) 104 to MPS 101. Finally, the command may be communicatedwirelessly from MPS 101 to digital camera 113. Next, the user of the PC105 may initiate another command to digital camera 113, in a similarmanner, instructing digital camera 113 to download image files fromdigital camera 113 to MPS 101. Finally, the user of the PC 105 mayinitiate a third command to MPS 101 via LNA(s) 104, instructing MPS 101to display the pictures in the image files on TV screen 111.

The digital camera 114 may have been left on a table at remote location116 pointing out a window. A user may use remote control 110 at homelocation 115 to power on digital camera 114 and MPS 102 via MPS 101 andTV screen 111 from home location 115. The power-on commands may beinitiated by the user of the MPS 101 and may be communicated from MPS101 to WAN(s) 103 via a wired connection, and then from WAN(s) 103 toMPS 102 via a wired connection. Finally, the commands may becommunicated from MPS 102 to digital camera 114 via a wirelessconnection. Next, the user of the MPS 101 may initiate another command,in a similar manner, to direct digital camera 114 to take pictures atremote location 116.

As yet another example, a user of the MPS 102 may command digital camera113 to turn on and download image files to MPS 102. The commands may becommunicated from MPS 102, using a remote control, to WAN(s) 103 via awireless connection, and then from WAN(s) 103 to MPS 101 via a wiredconnection, and finally from MPS 101 to digital camera 113 via a wiredconnection.

As another example of indirect control, a user of the MPS 101 maycommand home juke-box system 126 to be turned on via a wirelessconnection using remote control 110 and TV screen 111. Next, the user ofthe MPS 101 commands the home juke-box system 126 to download a musicfile in a first format to MPS 101. The command is accomplished over thewireless connection between MPS 101 and home juke-box system 126. Afterthe MPS 101 converts the music file from the first format to a secondMP3 format, the user of the MPS 101 commands that MP3 player 125 at homelocation 115 and an MP3 player 128 at remote location 116 both be turnedon. The command from the MPS 101 to the MP3 player 125 may becommunicated via a wireless connection. The command from the MPS 101 tothe MP3 player 128 at remote location 116 may be communicated first fromthe MPS 101 to the WAN(s) 103 via a wired connection, and then from theWAN(s) 103 to the MPS 102 via a wired connection, and finally from theMPS 102 to the MP3 player 128 at the remote location 116 via a wirelessconnection. As a result, the MPS 101 may follow up by downloading themusic file in the second MP3 format to the MP3 player 125 at the homelocation 115 and to the MP3 player 128 at the remote location 116.

Certain media peripheral commands may be initiated by a user to performfeature interrogation such that a user can access the stats of a mediaperipheral (e.g., camera resolution, version number, model number,serial number, registration information, etc.). Also, a user may controla media delivery format such as a compression format, resolution,quality, etc. For example, a user of the MPS 101 may initiate a commandto the digital camcorder 124 for the digital camcorder 124 to power onusing a remote control. Next, the user of the MPS 101 may command thedigital camcorder 124 to deliver a stats file to the MPS 101. Thecommands may be communicated via a wireless connection.

FIG. 2C is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method 215 forindirectly monitoring status information of media peripheral devices onthe media exchange network 100 of FIG. 1A, in accordance with variousaspects of the present invention. In step 216 indirect monitoring of amedia peripheral device is initiated by a status monitoring device(e.g., a MPS or a PC). In step 217, a decision is made as to whether ornot the status monitoring device is an MPS. If the status monitoringdevice is a MPS, then the method 215 proceeds to step 218. Otherwise,the method 215 proceeds to step 219. In step 218, a status accesscommand is communicated indirectly from the status monitoring device tothe media peripheral device over a communication path comprising atleast one wired and/or wireless connection between the status monitoringdevice and the media peripheral device. In step 219, a status accesscommand is communicated indirectly from the status monitoring device tothe media peripheral device over a communication path comprising atleast one MPS and at least one wired and/or wireless connection betweenthe status monitoring device and the media peripheral device. In step220, the status of the media peripheral device is communicated to thestatus monitoring device.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, astatus monitoring device may comprise a MPS, a PC, or another mediaperipheral device.

As an example, a user of the MPS 101 initiates sending of a statusaccess command to the home juke-box system 126 over a wirelessconnection using the remote control 110 and TV screen 111. The homejuke-box system 126 responds to the status access command by sendingstatus information back to the MPS 101. The status information mayinclude, for example, a power on/off state, storage used, storage left,and a within range indication for the home juke-box system 126 and maybe displayed on the TV screen 111.

As another example, a user of the MPS 102 at the remote location 116initiates sending of a status access command to the MP3 player 125 atthe home location 115 using a remote control and TV screen at the remotelocation 116. The status access command is transmitted over a wiredconnection to the WAN 103, then to the MPS 101, and finally over awireless connection to the MP3 player 125. The MP3 player 125 respondsto the status access command by sending status information back to theMPS 102. The status information may include, for example, a power on/offstate, a battery level, storage used, storage left, and a within rangeindication for the MPS 125 and may be displayed on the TV screen of theMPS 102.

A major challenge is to be able to transfer and share many differenttypes of digital media, data, and services between one device/locationand another with ease while being able to index, manage, and store thedigital media and data.

For example, it is desirable to be able to distribute and store manytypes of digital media in a PC and/or television environment in auser-friendly manner without requiring many different types of softwareapplications and/or unique and dedicated interfaces. Any networkingissues or other technical issues should be transparent to the users. Itis also desirable to take advantage of existing hardware infrastructure,as much as possible, when providing such capability.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a media exchange network isprovided that enables many types of digital media, data, and/or servicesto be stored, indexed, viewed, searched for, pushed from one user toanother, and requested by users, using a media guide user interface. Themedia exchange network also allows a user to construct personal mediachannels that comprise his personal digital media (e.g., captureddigital pictures, digital video, digital audio, etc.), request thatthird-party media channels be constructed from third-party digitalmedia, and access the media channels pushed to him by other users on themedia exchange network.

PC's may be used but are not required to interface to the media exchangenetwork for the purpose of exchanging digital media, data, and services.Instead, set-top-boxes or integrated MPS's (media processing systems)may be used with the media exchange network to perform all of thepreviously described media exchange functions using a remote controlwith a television screen.

Current set-top-boxes may be software enhanced to create a MPS thatprovides full media exchange network interfacing and functionality via aTV screen with a TV guide look-and-feel. PC's may be software enhancedas well and provide the same TV guide look-and-feel. Therefore, themedia exchange network supports both PC's and MPS's in a similar manner.Alternatively, a fully integrated MPS may be designed from the groundup, having full MPS capability.

In the case of an MPS configuration, the user takes advantage of hisremote control and TV screen to use the media exchange network. In thecase of a PC configuration, the user takes advantage of his keyboardand/or mouse to use the media exchange network.

An MPS or enhanced PC is effectively a storage and distribution platformfor the exchange of personal and third party digital media, data, andservices as well as for bringing the conventional television channels toa user's home. An MPS and/or PC connects to the media exchange networkvia an existing communication infrastructure which may include cable,DSL, satellite, etc. The connection to the communication infrastructuremay be hard-wired or wireless.

The media exchange network allows users to effectively become their ownbroadcasters from their own homes by creating their own media channelsand pushing those media channels to other authorized users on the mediaexchange network, such as friends and family members.

FIG. 3 comprises a media exchange network 300 for exchanging and sharingdigital media, data, and services in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention. The media exchange network 300 is a secure,closed network environment that is only accessible to pre-defined usersand service providers. The media exchange network of FIG. 3 comprises afirst PC 301 and a first media processing system (MPS) 302 at a user'shome 303, a communication infrastructure 304, external processinghardware support 305, remote media storage 306, a second PC 307 at aremote location 308 such as an office, and a second MPS 309 at aparent's home 310.

The PC's 301 and 307 and the MPS's 302 and 309 each include a mediaexchange software (MES) platform 311 and a networking component 312 forconnectivity. The MES platform 311 provides multiple capabilitiesincluding media “push” capability, media “access” capability, mediachannel construction/selection, image sequence selection, text and voiceoverlay, channel and program naming, inter-home routing selection,authorship and media rights management, shared inter-home mediaexperience, billing service, and an integrated media guide interfaceproviding a TV channel guide look-and-feel.

The external processing hardware support 305 comprises at least oneserver such as a centralized internet server, a peer-to-peer server, orcable head end. The server may alternatively be distributed over varioushosts or remote PC's. The MES platform 311 may also reside on theexternal processing hardware support server 305. The remote mediastorage 306 may comprise user media storage and distribution systems 313and/or third party media storage and distribution systems 314.

The communication infrastructure 304 may comprise at least one ofinternet infrastructure, satellite infrastructure, cable infrastructure,dial-up infrastructure, cellular infrastructure, xDSL infrastructure,optical infrastructure, or some other infrastructure. The communicationinfrastructure 304 links the user's home 303, parent's home 310, remotemedia storage 306, and remote location office 308 to each other (i.e.,the communication infrastructure 304 links all users and serviceproviders of the media exchange network 300).

The various functions 315 of the media exchange network 300 comprisegenerating personal network associations, personal storage management,media capture device support, security/authentication/authorizationsupport, authorship tracking and billing and address registration andmaintenance. These media exchange management functions 315 may bedistributed over various parts of the media exchange network 300. Forexample, the personal network associations and personal storagemanagement functions may be integrated in the PC 301 at the user's home303.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of personal media exchange over a mediaexchange network 400 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. In step 1, the media exchange software (MES) platform 401 isused to construct personal media channels on a PC 402 by a user at “myhouse” 403. For example, with various media stored on the PC 402 such asdigital pictures 404, videos 405, and music 406, the MES platform 401allows the digital media to be organized by a user into several channelshaving a media guide user interface 407 on the PC 402.

In step 2, the user at “my house” 403 pushes a media channel 408 (e.g.,“Joe's Music”) to “brother's house” 409 and pushes two media channels410 and 411 (e.g., “Vacation Video” and “Kid's Pictures”) to “Mom'shouse” 412 via a peer-to-peer server 413 over the internet-based mediaexchange network 400. “Brother's house” 409 includes a first MPS 414connected to the media exchange network 400. “Mom's house” 412 includesa second MPS 415 connected to the media exchange network 400. The MPS's414 and 415 also provide a media guide user interface 407.

In step 3, brother and/or Mom access the pushed media channels via theirrespective media processing systems (MPS's) 414 and 415 using theirrespective MPS TV screens and remote controls.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of third-party media exchange over a mediaexchange network 500 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. In step 1, a PC-initiated third-party request is made by afirst party 501 via an internet-based media exchange network 500 using amedia guide user interface 502 on a PC 503. In step 2, an anonymousdelivery of the requested third-party channel 504 is made to a secondparty 505 via the internet-based media exchange network 500. In step 3,the second party 505 accesses the third-party channel 504 using a mediaguide user interface 506 on a TV screen 507 that is integrated into anMPS 508.

Similarly, in step A, an MPS-initiated third-party request is made by asecond party 505 via an internet-based media exchange network 500 usinga media guide user interface 506 on a TV screen 507 using a remotecontrol 509. The second party 505 may key in a code, using his remotecontrol 509, that is correlated to a commercial or some other thirdparty broadcast media. In step B, an anonymous delivery of the requestedthird-party channel 504 is made to a first party 501 via theinternet-based media exchange network 500. In step C, the first party501 accesses the third-party channel 504 using a media guide userinterface 502 on a PC 503.

FIG. 6 illustrates a media guide user interface 600 in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention. The media guide user interface600 may be displayed on a TV screen 608 and controlled by a remotecontrol device 609. Also, the media guide user interface 600 may bedisplayed on a PC monitor and controlled by a keyboard or mouse.

The media guide user interface 600 may be configured not only forconventional TV channels but also for personal media channels 601 thatare constructed by a user of a media exchange network, friend's andfamily's media channels 602 constructed by friends and family, and thirdparty channels 603 that are constructed by third parties either uponrequest by a user of a media exchange network or based on a profile of auser.

The personal media channels 601 may include, for example, a “familyvacations channel”, a “kid's sports channel”, a “my life channel”, a“son's life channel”, a “my music channel”, and a “kid's music channel”.The friends and family media channels 602 may include, for example, a“brother's channel”, a “Mom's channel”, and a “friend's channel”. Thethird party media channels 603 may include, for example, a “Sears Fallsale channel” and a “car commercials channel”.

Each media channel may correspond to a schedule 604 showing, forexample, a week 605 and a year 606. For example, under the “kid's sportschannel”, Ty's soccer game could be scheduled to be viewed on Tuesday ofthe current week 605 and current year 606. For each media channel, asub-menu 607 allows for selection of certain control and accessfunctions such as “play”, “send to list”, “send to archive”, “confirmreceipt”, “view”, “purchase”, and “profile”.

FIG. 7 illustrates possible multiple instantiations of a media guideuser interface 700 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The media guide user interface 700 may be viewed with aschedule having formats of, for example, “month, year”, “week#, year”,“day, week#”, or “hour, day”.

Referring to FIG. 8, a user of a media exchange network may push a mediachannel (e.g., “Vacation in Alaska Video”) to a friend who is on thesame media exchange network. The media guide user interface 800 may givethe friend several options 801 for how to accept and download the pushedmedia in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

For example, a first, most expensive option 803 may be “ExpressDelivery” which would deliver the pushed media to the friend in 18minutes using queuing and cost $1.20, for example. The pushed media maybe stored in a file in an MPEG 2 format that was recorded at a rate of 4Mbps, for example. Queuing comprises buffering and delivering a previouspart of the media and then buffering and delivering a next part of themedia. For example, a first six minutes of the “Vacation in AlaskaVideo” may be buffered and delivered first, then a second six minutesmay be buffered and delivered next, and so on until the entire media isdelivered.

A second, less expensive option 802 may be “Normal Delivery” which woulddeliver the pushed media in 2 hours and 13 minutes without queuing andcost $0.59, for example. The pushed media may be stored in a file in anMPEG 2 format that was recorded at a rate of 1.5 Mbps, for example.

A third, least expensive option 804 may be “Overnight Delivery” whichwould deliver the pushed media by the next morning and cost only $0.05,for example. The pushed media may be stored in a file in an MPEG 2format that was recorded at a rate of 19 Mbps and stored on a server,for example.

FIG. 9A illustrates the detailed elements of a media processing system(MPS) 900 and media capture devices 901 in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention. The media capture devices 901 may compriseaudio, video, and image players, such as digital cameras, digitalcamcorders, and MP3 players, that each include a temporary storage area902 and a communication interface 903 such as, for example, a USBinterface or a wireless interface. The media capture devices 901 havethe capability to interface to an MPS and a PC.

The MPS 900 comprises a media processing unit (MPU) 904, remote userinterface(s) 905, and a TV screen 918 to provide integrated mediaprocessing capability and indirect user interface capability. The remoteuser interfaces 905 may comprise a voice or keyed remote control 906,keyboards and pads 907, a remote PC access interface 908, and a remotemedia system access interface 909 (i.e., providing access from anotherMPS).

The media processing unit (MPU) 904 comprises TV and radio tuners 910for image and audio consumption, communications interfaces 911, channelprocessing 912 (creating, storing, indexing, viewing), storage 913,media players 914 (CD, DVD, Tape, PVR, MP3), an integrated userinterface 915 (to provide a TV channel guide look-and-feel), networkingcomponents 916 to provide client functions such as consumption(billing), authorization (e.g., using digital certificates and digitalID's), registration, security, and connectivity. In an alternativeembodiment of the present invention, the networking components 916 mayinclude a distributed server element 917 that is part of a distributedserver.

FIG. 9B illustrates an alternative embodiment of a media processingsystem (MPS) 920 in accordance with various aspects of the presentinvention. The MPS 920 is essentially an enhanced set-top-box forviewing and interacting with various user interfaces, media, data, andservices that are available on the media exchange network using, forexample, a remote control. The MPS 920 comprises a media peripheral 921,a MMS (media management system) 922, and a broadband communicationinterface 923.

The media peripheral 921 may include a TV (television), a PC (personalcomputer), and media players (e.g., a CD player, a DVD player, a tapeplayer, and a MP3 player) for video, image, and audio consumption ofbroadcast and/or personal channels. The broadband communicationinterface 923 may include internal modems (e.g., a cable modem or DSLmodem) or other interface devices in order to communicate with, forexample, a cable or satellite headend.

The MMS 922 includes a software platform to provide functionalityincluding media “push” capability, media “access” capability, mediachannel construction/selection, image sequence selection, text and voiceoverlay, channel and program naming, inter-home routing selection,authorship and media rights management, shared inter-home mediaexperience, billing service, and a media guide user interface providingan integrated TV channel guide look-and-feel.

FIG. 10 illustrates connectivity between a PC 1000, an MPS 1001, andexternal processing hardware 1002 (e.g., a server) in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention. The PC 1000 and MPS 1001 includenetworking components 1003 to provide client functions such asconsumption (billing), authorization, registration, security, andconnectivity. Alternatively, the PC 1000 and MPS 1001 may include adistributed server element 1004 that is part of a distributed server.

The PC 1000 and MPS 1001 connect to the external processing hardware1002 via wired or wireless connections. The external processing hardware1002 comprises a distributed server or peer-to-peer server. The externalprocessing hardware 1002 also comprises communication interfaces 1005(e.g., cable interfaces, optical interfaces, etc.) and a media exchangesoftware (MES) platform 1006. The MES platform 1006 in the externalprocessing hardware 1002 allows for communication with the PC 1000 andMPS 1001 which may also use the same MES platform 1006. The externalprocessing hardware 1002 also includes networking server components 1007to provide the similar client functions such as consumption (billing),authorization, registration, security, and connectivity at the serverside.

FIG. 11 illustrates connectivity between a PC 1100, remote media storage1101, and personal media capture devices 1102 when the PC 1100 is usedas the primary distributor of digital media such as in the case ofPC-to-PC operation, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. The personal media capture devices 1102 and remote mediastorage 1101 connect to the PC 1100 via a wireless or wired connection.The remote media storage 1101 provides user media storage anddistribution 1103 as well as third party media storage and distribution1104. The personal media capture devices 1102 provide temporary storage1114 and communication interfaces 1115.

Viewing is done using a PC monitor 1105 instead of a television screen.The PC 1100 may include storage 1106, TV/radio tuners 1107 for mediaconsumption, media players 1108, and communication interfaces 1109 anduser interfaces 1110 similar to those for the MPS of FIG. 9A. The PC1100 includes a media exchange software (MES) platform 1111 thatprovides channel construction capability 1112 and networking capability1113. The channel construction capability 1112 allows third party andpersonal media access, sequencing, editing, media overlays and inserts,billing, scheduling, and addressing.

Aspects of the present invention include a system and method thatprovides indirect access and control of media peripheral devices in amanner not previously accomplished. Certain embodiments of the presentinvention relate to various types of media peripheral device control andaccess, and various sources of initiation of media peripheral devicecontrol and access.

While the invention has been described with reference to certainembodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art thatvarious changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. In addition, manymodifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material tothe teachings of the invention without departing from its scope.Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to theparticular embodiment disclosed, but that the invention will include allembodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for indirect control of at least one media peripheral comprising: creating a user defined group of users for user-to-user sharing of media content; enabling delivery of media from a first user location to a second user location remote from the first user location, the second user location having a second storage for storing media with respect to a second user of the user defined group of users and at least one media peripheral communicatively coupled to the second storage; and communicating with software that maintains information identifying members of the user defined group of users, and that receives a request that identifies one of the first user and the second user, one of the at least one media peripheral, and at least one media peripheral command selected by the first user at the first user location, and that responds by enabling control from the first user location, via a communication network, of the identified one of the at least one media peripheral, at the second user location, according to the at least one media peripheral command.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating the first user and the second user with network protocol addresses comprising one of an Internet protocol (IP) address, a media access control (MAC) address, and an electronic serial number (ESN).
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one media peripheral comprises one or more of a digital camera, a digital camcorder, an MP3 player, a home juke-box system, a multi-media personal digital assistant (PDA), and/or a mobile multi-media gateway device.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the media comprises one or more of audio, a still image, video, real-time video, and data.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one media peripheral command comprises one or more of on, off, select, play, capture, download, erase, delete, zoom, focus, pan, tilt, set compression format, set resolution, set frame rate, set quality, rewind, fast forward, scan, list, skip, and/or check status.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication network comprises one or more of a cable infrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and/or a wireless infrastructure.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a user interface that identifies one or more of the second user location, the at least one media peripheral, and the at least one media peripheral command, and the user interface supports at least one media channel.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the at least one media channel comprises a user-selected and scheduled sequence of media for consumption at one or both of the first user location and/or the second user location.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein supporting at least one media channel comprises creating the at least on media channel, including displaying a graphical representation of the at least one media channel on the user interface.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the display device comprises a television.
 11. A method for supporting indirect control of at least one media peripheral comprising: creating a user defined group of users for user-to-user sharing of media content; presenting a user interface on a display device comprising a representation of media available for consumption; communicatively coupling to a first storage that stores media with respect to a first user at a first user location, and to a second storage with respect to a second user at a second user location remote from the first user location, the second storage communicatively coupled to at least one media peripheral at the second user location, wherein the first user and the second user are members of the user defined group of users known to one another; enabling delivery of media between the first user location and the second user location; and communicating with software that maintains information identifying members of the user defined group of users and associates network addresses with the members, and that receives a request that identifies one of the first user and the second user, one of the at least one media peripheral, and at least one media peripheral command selected at the first location, and responds by enabling control, via a communication network, of the identified one of the at least one media peripheral, according to the at least one media peripheral command.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the media comprises one or more of audio, a still image, video, real-time video, and data.
 13. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one media peripheral comprises one or more of a digital camera, a digital camcorder, an MP3 player, a home juke-box system, a multi-media personal digital assistant (PDA), and/or a mobile multi-media gateway device.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the software associates each member of the user defined group of users with a network address comprising one of an Internet protocol (IP) address, a media access control (MAC) address, or an electronic serial number (ESN).
 15. The method of claim 11, wherein the communication network comprises one or more of a cable infrastructure, a satellite network infrastructure, a digital subscriber line (DSL) infrastructure, an Internet infrastructure, an intranet infrastructure, a wired infrastructure, and/or a wireless infrastructure.
 16. The method of claim 11, further comprising causing forwarding of media from the at least one media peripheral to the first storage.
 17. A method for indirect control of at least one media peripheral: creating a user defined group of users for user-to-user sharing of media content; supporting display of television content and a user interface comprising a representation of media available for consumption, at a first user location; communicatively coupling to a first storage, at the first user location, that stores media, and to at least one media peripheral, at a second location remote from the first user location: initiating transfer of media between the first storage and the at least one media peripheral, via a communication network, the at least one media peripheral being configured to be indirectly controlled by the set top box circuitry at the first user location; and communicating with software that maintains the user defined group of users who know one another, the user defined group of users comprising a first user at the first user location and a second user at the second user location, the software supporting the delivery of at least one media peripheral command to the at least one media peripheral, and the communication of media between the at least one media peripheral and the first location.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein the media comprises one or more of audio, a still image, video, real-time video, and/or data.
 19. The method of claim 17 wherein the at least one media peripheral command comprises one or more of on, off, select, play, capture, download, erase, delete, zoom, focus, pan, tilt, set compression format, set resolution, set frame rate, set quality, rewind, fast forward, scan, list, skip, and/or check status.
 20. The method of claim 17, wherein the user interface supports at least one media channel that comprises a user-selected and scheduled sequence of media for consumption at one or both of the first location and/or the second location. 